Merritt Island Was Up Against More Than Just Brandon This Time

Believe Gerald Odom when he says that Merritt Island was not meant to win Friday night. Anyone who witnessed the game saw that there was certainly something spooky going on.

I don't generally believe in the supernatural, and I know God doesn't bother with the outcome of football games, or the Los Angeles Raiders never would have been in the Super Bowl.

All I know is I won't be surprised if Brandon wins that state championship and some guy with horns and a pointy tail saunters up to Coach Larry Bass and says, ''Great game, Coach. Now about that deal we made.''

I have been trying to figure out, rationally, how Brandon could have won, 10-6. I just can't. The Mustangs were teased and tortured, badgered and bedeviled unmercifully. Again and again they were escorted just close enough to the goal line to make scoring seem inevitable, then cruelly knocked back.

Take the very beginning. Brandon fumbled, and Merritt Island recovered on Brandon's 28. It looked like an easy chance to score, but of course the Mustangs were only being made fun of. Mark Boring's 46-yard field-goal attempt was short.

The Mustangs made some offensive adjustments and after a Brandon punt, jaunted cheerfully and easily downfield. But after they reached the 13-yard line, fullback Randy Rigdon let the ball pop out of his grasp. Mustang fans applauded the effort.

Little did they know.

The next time the Mustangs reached Brandon's 29, but a sack and illegal- procedure penalty pushed them back to the 40, and they punted. After that, the Mustangs reached the 18 before being thrown for a loss. Boring's 38-yard field goal seemed to be blown just to the right. Don't even ask which way the wind actually was blowing.

John Raymond kicked a 35-yard field goal with 2 seconds left in the half to give Brandon a 3-0 lead. Then came the play that capsulized the Mustangs' whole evening.

Running back Steve Hamilton caught the kickoff at the 20-yard line as time ran out. He found a line of blockers and was suddenly in the open field, sprinting for the end zone. Why, he was going to score, and so easily! The Mustangs would have a 7-3 halftime lead.

Hamilton got to the 20 before being dragged down.

The Mustangs were tortured in the first half, but in the second half they went through hell.

On their second possession, the Mustangs got as far as Brandon's 11 before another infernal fumble gave Brandon the ball.

The last play of the third quarter was the clincher, the one that proved the game wasn't in the hands of mere mortals.

Scott Schlarbaum punted from his 15. It was a high kick and stayed in the air an unbelievably long time. As if by design, it landed smack dab on one of the Mustangs helmets and bounced directly into the hands of Brandon's Johnny Hopkins, who was 15 yards downfield.

Hopkins began skipping toward the end zone and would have scored one of the easiest touchdowns of all time, but the rules say the ball cannot be advanced. Instead the Eagles were forced to travel 50 yards, which they did rather easily, culminating in a 12-yard pass from Mike Grant to Andre Wright.

Merritt Island got the ball back with plenty of time and marched to Brandon's 24. Must I tell you that the Mustangs fumbled again? Or have you guessed by now?

The Mustangs got the ball one last time with 2:05 remaining and managed to score on a 37-yard pass from Joe Price to Darryl Spencer with 24 seconds left. They missed the two-point conversion try but still had a chance to win if they could recover an onside kick. Maybe I was wrong, maybe Merritt Island was just being tested. Maybe everything would turn out right after all.

Maybe not. A Merritt Island player dived on the ball about a foot before it traveled 10 yards. Brandon's victory was preserved.

Afterward Bass said rather smugly, ''You have to play perfect at this level.''